Breakdown of De buurvrouw d'r oppas is net zo zorgzaam als de onze, maar minder prijzig.
zijn
to be
maar
but
onze
our (de-words, plurals)
de buurvrouw
the neighbor (female)
Questions & Answers about De buurvrouw d'r oppas is net zo zorgzaam als de onze, maar minder prijzig.
This lesson is about 'weliswaar ... maar'. Could we add 'weliswaar' to this sentence?
You grammatically could, but it would sound very strange here. The word weliswaar (admittedly) sets up a concession, meaning the first part should be a downside or a compromised point that is outweighed by the maar (but) clause. Because being "just as caring" and "less pricey" are both positive points, you aren't making a concession. You are just adding a second benefit, so a simple maar works best.
What is the grammar behind 'De buurvrouw d'r oppas'?
This is a highly common colloquial way to show possession in spoken Dutch. The structure is the owner, followed by an unstressed possessive pronoun, followed by the noun. Here, d'r is the unstressed form of haar (her). In formal writing, you would typically use De oppas van de buurvrouw.
Why does the sentence use 'de onze' instead of 'het onze'?
Independent possessive pronouns take the definite article of the noun they are replacing. Since it refers back to de oppas, which is a de word, it has to be de onze. If it were replacing a het word, such as het kind, it would be het onze.
What does 'net' add to the phrase 'zo zorgzaam als'?
The word net adds emphasis to the equality, making it "just as caring as" rather than simply "as caring as". It is the most natural way to express that two things are exactly equal in a specific quality.